Melody Scribbles
by JanaeSpecter14
Summary: Just a few one-shots of from my Melody Barnes series. I would love reviews from you guys to know what you want to see. I hope you all enjoy these scribbles! Cover art came from an anonymous fan on Tumblr!
1. Strange Encounter

_**I said I would do this a long time ago, but I'm finally putting it up! I could really use some suggestion from you guys on what to write especially since these are all about what you want to see. I kind of just upload these whenever I feel like it or when I get suggestion so if you want these then you guys have to give me ideas. I hope you guys enjoy these! Remember to review or message me your ideas!**_

Melody stood in the kitchen of Stark Towers with only one thing on her mind. Boredom. She had the day off. She had days off since she had been to New York, but today was different. She had absolutely nothing to do, and her only companion was Jarvis. The touristy things never attracted her, and she had seen every movie and read every book in this place since she was living alone.

She knew with time different that Pepper was still at work, and when she called Tony, he didn't answer which meant one of two things, he was dead or the music in his workshop was so loud that he couldn't hear the phone ringing. They would be visiting soon, anyway. It was almost time for her birthday, meaning they were making a special trip. Calling Clint was completely out of the question, and her mother was still at work. The only "friends" she had at work were Agent Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff. The sad thing was that she couldn't even picture seeing those girls outside of work drinking at a bar or spending the night dancing. She would have called Coulson. The two had gotten pretty close ever since she moved here, but he was on a mission; a super secret mission she couldn't know about because of Nick Fury. And she wasn't calling Nick Fury to hang out because of obvious reasons. So, she had no friends in the state of New York.

She thought about all the things New York had to offer. That's when Steve came to her mind. A part of her felt guilty for it. She was the only relative he had left and she still hadn't met him. She just wasn't ready for that. Taking on Steve felt like a huge step in her life. She felt responsible for him, but she knew that the second she saw him, she would feel sorry for him. And she didn't want to feel sorry for him. He was America's greatest hero, and all she would see when she stared at him would be pity. Fury gave her constant updates on Steve's status, and again, she decided that meeting Steve was out of the question…for now.

She thought about going to see a movie, but she had never seen a movie all by herself. She wouldn't know what size popcorn to get. She and Tony would pig out on a large bucket together; so, would she get a medium or a small? What was even half of a large? It was stumping her. It truly was, but she would never be more stumped than coming to terms with the fact that in New York City-the biggest city in America-she couldn't figure out what to do.

That's when something occurred to her. There was one thing that she always preferred to do alone. Run. If she learned one thing about New York City, it was that the best place in town to run was Central Park. The more Melody thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Stark Towers was starting to get a little boring. She had fixed everything that could possibly need fixing, started brand new projects and even got a place to practice her training.

The working out inside thing was getting boring. She hated working out, but when she got to do it outside, it was suddenly ten times better. She loved the feeling of the sun on her face. Now was a beautiful time for a run. The sun was getting ready to set. And New York was just starting to get into summer. It was even more beautiful outside than usual. As she looked outside, looking down at the jungle in the middle of the city, her mind was made.

She laced up her running shoes, put on a tank top and shorts, stretched a little before heading to the elevator and walked the rest of the way to Central Park. Once she got there, she saw tons of people jogging, walking their dogs and hanging out with friends.

As Melody looked around, she knew why she fell in love with New York. You were never strange, out of place or awkward. Everything here was strange, out of place and awkward. You just blended in the crowd, no matter what you were doing. And that was all Melody had ever wanted after years of being picked out of a crowd in a second for being Tony Stark's niece. People saw her, but didn't think twice about it. That was her own version of heaven.

She put her headphones in before taking her first steps, and quickly evolved into a run. As her music played, her mind went completely blank. She became lost in the music, until one song came on that triggered something in her.

She couldn't even remember what the song was, but the first thing that passed through her head was a flashback of Obadiah shooting her in the stomach. Then Clint being shot in the stomach. She thought of when she had to drag his limp body through the underground portions of Stark Industry, only finding herself barely alive when she got outside, almost bleeding out right on the Industry's steps.

Then she thought of Monaco. She thought about what it was like to be Iron Man. To throw herself into a situation where the public was more important than her life. She thought of the way Ivan's electric whips took hold of her and threw her around like a rag doll. Then at the Stark Expo when she was almost crushed to death in the metal she had helped create.

She felt her running increase as the thoughts zipped by like a bad dream. She ran as fast as her legs could take her, feeling death chasing her on her heels. She ran like that until her legs just couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed onto a nearby tree, having it slow her down to a stop as she fell to the cool, soft grass.

She pulled out her headphone, cursing the stupid song as she rested on her hands and knees, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down her anxiety attack. It wasn't a regular occurrence, but it did happen to her. It happened more times than she liked to admit. The first time she experienced one, she had no idea what was going on with her, that's when Pepper told her that she saw all the symptoms of an anxiety disorder. Pepper also forced her to go to a therapist where she was diagnosed with PTSD.

The doctor told her things like this were common. She would have triggers, and she had to figure out what those triggers were. Apparently that song being one of them. Again, she was thankful for New York. No one was stopping, trying to take a picture or video of her. She didn't even want anyone to help her. She wanted to stay like that as people casually passed her by, only wanting to get up on her own terms.

What she didn't know was that someone was on the way to help her. Steve Rogers had also decided to take a run that afternoon. He was on the opposite spectrum of Melody. His story was so new. More people were paying attention to the fact that the world's first super soldier came back from the dead and was now trying to adjust to life in the 21st century. One thing he did like about the changes was how much Central Park had changed. There was just so much more. And with so much going on, no one paid attention to the people running by.

As he ran, he noticed a little blonde running by him at full speed. He was impressed. Not a lot of people could run faster than him, but as she passed him, he noticed her breath. It was heavy, but it didn't sound like it was heavy from her running. It was heavy from her fear.

That's when he began to get worried about her. He picked up the pace in his jog, turning it into a run, having no trouble keeping up with her. The super soldier serum could cause him to run for days without him getting tiered. She just continued to get faster. She was really testing his limits. He had only woken up from the ice a few days ago! He wasn't back to his normal standards yet.

Right when Steve knew he couldn't keep up anymore, she threw herself to the ground, breathing heavily as she looked down at the grass, fear plastered all over her face. He couldn't really see the face, but that face seemed like a familiar one. Steve had to take a moment to catch his breath before even thinking about what was wrong with her. His hands rested on his knees as he took deep breaths, still keeping a careful eye on her. With a wheezy breath, he asked, "You all right, miss?"

Melody heard the voice and immediately stiffened. She heard that voice before. It was a voice that she had already made a note of in her head. It was a voice she didn't want to hear. Not now. She wasn't ready. She decided that when he woke from his seventy year sleep. He couldn't know who she was. Not now. Her anxiety attack seemed like less of a problem. She stood up, not bothering to look back before taking off again. She looked back briefly, but when she saw that he wasn't following, she turned her head right back, not stopping until she got to Stark Towers.

But Steve saw her. And he couldn't believe his eyes. She looked just like Maria. Exactly like Maria. Steve stood there for a moment, sure he was looking at a ghost, but then remembered something Fury had told him. He had a great niece. And Fury told him that he would be surprised by her, but he had no idea what he meant by that. Not until now.

Melody, when she got into Stark Towers, she plopped herself down on the couch and took a few deep breaths. Her phone began ringing, and when she saw that it was Tony, she wanted to answer it, but she was too emotionally upset; she ignored it. She hated today. She hated herself. She hated that she was avoiding Steve so much, but she felt like it was the only thing she could do. She didn't want to hurt him, but she also didn't want him to be lonely.

And Steve was very lonely. Since he had woken up, he was given an apartment paid for by SHIELD, but he didn't know anyone besides the people he met at SHIELD. Those people he didn't count as friends. They were barely acquaintances. He had no one to talk to, and he had no family left. Not even the family who wasn't blood. And to him, the world was so much more different. A few days ago, he was in the 20th century, and now, he was in the 21st. One thing Steve did know was that he was going to meet Melody Barnes one day. He just didn't know that the one day was going to be soon. Real soon.


	2. Parenting: Day 1

Tony had been looking after Melody since James died, but looking after and parenting were two completely different things. Today was his first day as a parent. And as he felt Melody shaking his sleeping self as hard as possible, he already knew it was going to be a bad day. He groaned as Melody kept yelling his name, continuing to shake him. "Just five more minutes." He mumbled under his breath, causing an eye roll from Melody.

"You don't have five more minutes!" She yelled at him with a flustered voice. "I have to be at school in twenty minutes!"

Tony immediately sat up after that. He set an alarm. He knew he set an alarm. But when he looked to the clock, it read 7:45. "No." He spoke in a terrified voice. "We have fifteen minutes to get to school!" He threw the blanket off of him and hurried to the kitchen. "Get dressed! I'll make the breakfast!"

Melody crinkled her nose at that. She much preferred when Pepper made her breakfast. "Are you sure that it's good for you to cook? Pepper says you always start fires."

Tony turned around to look at her, exasperated with this whole situation. He never yelled at Melody, but this was going to be an exception. "Melody, get dressed!"

She turned around and ran upstairs as fast as possible. Tony turned back around with an expression of fear and blankness. "Breakfast." He mumbled to himself. "Breakfast." He began to move his legs, not sure where they were going when he stopped at the freezer. He pulled it open, thanking whoever invented toaster waffles.

He pulled two out of their box and ran to the toaster, plopping them in. He turned around again, looking all around the room, wondering what else he had to do. He caught the distance of a sparkling pink backpack laying on the coffee table in the living room. He ran to it, throwing in the supplies that laid scattered all around the living room.

There was something else he had to do, but it wasn't clicking to him. It didn't click to him until he looked down. He was wearing boxers and a white undershirt. "Pants!" He turned around, zooming to his room, picking up the first pair of pants he could find. He began to pull them on, but tripped over one of the pant legs, causing him to face plant on his own bed. He mumbled a curse as he finished pulling on his pants and stood straight up.

When he hurried out of his room, he ran right into Melody. He inspected her outfit, and the first thing he spotted was a stain on her white T-shirt with a kitten on it. He shrugged, not really caring about the stain, knowing time was just passing them by. "Fine by me." Tony grabbed his car keys from the hall table and motioned for her to follow him. "Let's go."

"What about breakfast?" Melody asked in a small voice.

Tony turned around with wide eyes, sniffing the air, realizing there was the smell of burning all around him. "Every time!" Tony ran into the kitchen, pulling the plug on the toaster, and pulling out the burnt toaster waffles. He dropped them on the floor from how hot they were and rolled his eyes.

Melody looked down at the waffles as Tony began to turn around. "But-" She spoke in a small voice.

"Leave 'em!" Tony called out, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her out the door. Melody almost tripped over herself as Tony handed her the sparkly pink backpack and got her in the car.

Tony whipped out of the drive way as fast as possible and began speeding down the road. Melody-out of fear-grabbed onto the side of the door and let out a little whimper. As they drove, Melody's eyes grew wide at something. "Don't take this left!" She screeched, causing Tony to quickly swerve back into the main lane.

"What?" He inquired as he looked to her then back to the road quickly. "Why?"

"Uh," She began in an obvious tone. "Because you can't get to my school that way?" Damn, she sounded just like her mother to Tony.

Tony turned his head. He hadn't been to her school many times, but he could have sworn that he had always taken that left. Tony sighed out, pushing away the thought, his only challenge now was to get Melody to school…on time. It looked like that wasn't going to be an option anymore. The clock had just turned to eight, and he knew it was going to be more than sixty seconds to get her there.

He pulled up at the school at 8:03, and sighed as he slowed to a stop, the parking lot being full of cars, but dead with activity, a small mist filling the area. "Okay," Tony breathed out with a shrug, panting from nervousness about how fast he tried to get her there. "Three minutes late isn't that bad." Melody just stared out the window with a blank look on her face, but Tony couldn't see it. She was turned away from him. "Alright," He told her joyfully. "Have a good day." When he turned to look at her, he noticed she wasn't looking at him. He was worried it was going to be something about James. "You all right?"

Melody slowly turned to him, wondering how he was going to react to this. "This isn't my school." She whispered as soft as her voice could go.

Tony blinked at her a couple of times, taking all of him not to explode from anger. "You have got to be…fucking…kidding me."

Melody gasped as she looked up at her uncle. "You owe a dollar to the swear jar!"

"No!" Tony finally yelled out, so tiered of today already. "I gave up like twenty dollars yesterday to that thing!"

Melody pouted as she looked up at him before turning away while crossing her arms. She let out a deep huff, her eyes focused on the window. Tony shut his eyes, a small part of him hating himself for that outburst. He was trying to be a parent and he was royally screwing up. "Melody," He began in a soft voice. "I'm sorry."

She didn't say a thing. She just sat there with her arms still folded, huffing. That's when Tony thought it was time to speak of the doubt that had been in his mind since this morning. "Mel," He began in a suspicious tone. "What's wrong with you this morning?"

Her eyebrows crinkled at that, confused at where he was going even though she was still mad. "What are you talking about?" She whispered slightly.

He sighed, turning slightly so he could get a better look at her. "Well, I set this alarm two days in advance for your first day and it just didn't come on this morning." Melody began to shift slightly, getting nervous. "Jarvis doesn't make mistakes. Ever." He gave a slight smile at her twitching. "And I was one hundred percent sure that we took that left back there until you told me not to." Melody turned to him, looking guilty at what had just happened. "And I packed up all your school supplies last night. This morning they were scattered all over the living room."

Melody sighed as she pouted, feeling like this was the worst thing she has ever done in her life. "I waited until you went to sleep and I scattered my school supplies all over the living room, told Jarvis not to wake you up, and took you to the wrong school on purpose." Tony nodded after she was done talking, breathing heavily from everything she had said and how quickly she had said it.

Tony put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, looking her right in the eye. "I'm not mad." He assured her. Tony thanked for all the times he had seen James parent because if he didn't, he wouldn't have a clue on what to do with Melody. "I just want to know why you did all of this when you could have just told me that you weren't ready to go back to school." He sighed, trying to look even deeper into those innocent blue eyes. "Is it…your dad?"

Melody had to bite on her lip as she felt tears poking at her eyes. "Riding in the car to school was our thing." She finally cried out. Tony sighed, finally realizing what was happening. The loss of her dad was finally sinking in. "We would always talk on the ride to school and if we were early, we went to go get breakfast." Melody bowed her head, letting her tears fall on her lap. "It was my favorite part of the day."

Tony felt his heart breaking at her tears, knowing this was going to be harder than he thought. Losing somebody like James was going to be tough on her. The two were incredibly close and James was an amazing parent. How could he ever be anything like James was? How could he compare to this amazing father that she had? He was scared to be the one to raise Melody. He had never been more scared of anything in his life. "Hey," Tony spoke as he put his arm around her, pulling her into his chest as he kissed the top of her head. "You're not going to school today."

Melody let out a little chuckle. "Thank you."

Tony could only think of one thing to say, but he knew it wasn't going to make this better. Nothing could make the death of her father better. "I love you."

"I love you." She said back instantly.

Tony continued holding her tight, never wanting to let go because Melody felt comfort in this, but so did Tony. He lost his brother. His big brother. The one person who was always there for him. Now, Tony had to become the person who was always there for Melody. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>Tony spread his toes apart in the sand, taking joy in that simple pleasure. He smiled, happy that he was here. When he looked up, his smile only got bigger. Melody was picking up seashells with a happy smile on her face as the waves came up, grazing her toes. Tony sighed as the breeze hit him, not being able to take his eyes off of Melody. He wasn't going to be as good as a father as James was, but they were going to be okay. He was going to be okay. Melody was going to be okay.<p>

Tony chuckled at the fact that he thought of himself as Melody's father figure. He never wanted to be a father, but now he had to become one for Melody. And he was happy to do it. Because that girl was his life. Just the sheer joy on her face was payment enough for being a father. He loved Melody more than anything, and when she looked up at him and smiled, Tony gave her the biggest smile he had ever given anyone. She was gorgeous.

She ran to him excitedly with a seashell in her hand. "What did you get?" he asked her in an interested tone as she sat down on his lap.

"Look at this one." She spoke as she handed it to him.

The seashell was kind of red with gold specks on it. "That's pretty." Tony commented as he inspected the shell. He didn't know that a shell could ever turn out that way.

"Those are my two favorite colors." Melody commented with a smile as she looked down at the shell.

Tony looked back to her, smiling at how content she looked. He leaned in, kissing her cheek. James dying was one of the worst things he had to experience, but getting Melody was a blessing. And right there on that beach, he made a promise that he would keep her safe no matter what happened, and he would raise her to be the amazing person James was. Maybe even better. "Hey," Tony spoke while pushing a piece of her long blonde hair behind her ear.

"What?" Melody asked, still looking down at the shell in awe. She thought it was the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

"How about when either of us is having a bad day, we come here?"

Melody looked up at him, smiling widely. "To the beach?"

"Yeah." Tony encouraged while rubbing her back. "Just you and me, kid." Melody nodded excitedly, causing Tony to laugh. He would do anything to always keep that smile on her face. "Come on," He spoke as he got up, causing her to get up too. "Let's take a walk."

He grabbed Melody's hand and the two began their walk close to the water, laughing and talking about everything. And for the first time, Melody began to forget about the hole in her heart left by the absence of her dad. Tony was filling the hole in her heart with his unconditional love. And for a moment, she was about to call him "dad".


	3. The One Where Ross and Rachel Take Break

_**If you haven't noticed, I've referenced Ross and Rachel in both I Am Iron Man and Mamma Who Bore Me. I just thought I would make a short little chapter on how Melody got obsessed with Friends when she was little, and it actually ended up being a little sad. But I hope you all enjoy! And I hope you all have happy holidays. And I'm probably going to set up The Avengers story after the holiday season!**_

Melody had never been the kind to lay in bed all day. So, when she spent a whole Friday in bed, James was worried. She didn't want to go to school so James didn't force her, but he was worried. Emily was gone so if it was a girl thing, he was stumped. He could call Pepper, but he was going to wait on that. That was his last resort. He climbed the stairs again, gently knocking on her bedroom door while carrying a tray of food. "Come in." Her voice was so weak, it was breaking his heart.

He opened the door, setting her food on the nightstand and lying in bed with her. "You okay?"

Melody sighed out and laid her head on James's shoulder. "Not really."

James hated all of this. He hated seeing her in any amount of pain or sadness. Especially since he didn't know how to help her. "Are you ever going to tell me what's going on?"

Melody bit her lip, wondering how he would react to this. "You're gonna laugh at me." She hid under the blanket, feeling so upset that no one was really understanding.

James ran a hand through his graying, dark hair nervously. He had been raising Melody on his own for two years now, but nothing like this had ever happened to him. What on earth could be happening to his daughter? "Sweetie," He began, pulling the blanket down so he could see her crystal blue (almost grey) eyes, matching his. "I would never laugh at you."

Melody pulled the blanket all the way down, revealing her whole face. She was looking up at him worriedly, not sure she wanted to tell him about this. James thought she was going to finally open up when she just threw the blanket back over her head again. "No."

James leaned into the headboard, sighing with annoyance. His daughter _had_ to tell someone what was going on. And he was getting desperate. This was not Melody's personality. She hadn't been herself all day, and he finally knew what he had to do. He got up from the bed and walked out of her room to the closest phone. He dialed Tony's office number. Pepper had only been working for Tony for a few months, but she had already developed such a strong bond with Melody. The two were like best friends. She was the only one who could find out what was going on. "Stark Industries." She answered in her preppy, office voice. "Tony Stark's office."

"Hey." James answered while running his hand through his hair another time. It was practically a Stark trait. "It's James."

"Hey." She spoke, turning off the overly preppy voice and turning into one she only spoke to friends with. "You want to talk to Tony?"

"No." James sighed out, becoming more flustered with this situation the more he thought about it. "I actually need to talk to you."

Pepper's eyebrows crinkled at that, but she had already spent enough time with the Stark's that nothing was strange anymore. "What's up?"

"Melody's been in bed all day."

Pepper was worried just by that sentence. "That's not like her."

"I know." James felt embarrassed that he had to call Pepper for help to raise his child. She had no experience at being a parent, but she was somehow so much better at it than him. "Do you mind coming down to talk to her? She's not talking to me. And I'm worried it'll be something about her mom."

Pepper didn't know much about the woman who had left the Barnes's, but she knew Melody. She had to find a crack in this fortress Melody was putting up. The girl was only seven. She was smart, but not a criminal mastermind. She could find Melody's weakness. "Yeah, I'll be down there in a few."

"Wait," James spoke, stopping her before she could hang up. "Shouldn't you tell Tony?"

Pepper rolled her eyes slightly, looking back at Tony who was busy at work in his office. His music was blaring, and the truth was that she was glad that she was going to get out of there. The music was starting to really give her a headache. "He won't even know I'm gone."

* * *

><p>James opened the door for Pepper, sighing with relief at her appearance. "Thank God you're here." He breathed out.<p>

"Where is she?" She asked urgently.

"Her room. Pepper, she won't talk to me. I'm getting worried."

Pepper looked up at him, never seeing him like this. He was so worried about her. It was heartwarming. "James, it's probably just something little." Pepper chuckled a little, finding his fear kind of…cute. "It's not like she's doing hardcore drugs." James gave her a worried look, causing Pepper to roll her eyes. "She is not on hardcore drugs. That I can assure you."

She hurried upstairs, not wanting to look at James worried face anymore. It was hurting her, and she just wanted to figure out what was going on with Melody. When she knocked on the door, Melody answered with a weak, "Come in."

Pepper sighed, understanding why James was so worried. She had never heard a voice sound so sad and weak before. She opened the door, looking at Melody wrapped up in her pink blanket. "What are you doing in bed all day, sweetie?"

Melody sighed when Pepper sat down on the bed with her. "I have a dilemma."

Pepper laughed a little. This girl was so smart. "What's your dilemma?"

Melody looked to her, thinking Pepper would understand a lot more than anybody else. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Cross my heart." Pepper spoke, making a cross over her heart. Melody smiled at the fact that she finally found someone to tell her dilemma to.

* * *

><p>Pepper walked down the stairs with a smile on her face. James sat up from the couch, anxiously hurrying to Pepper. "What's wrong with her?"<p>

Pepper was almost laughing, shocked that they were all worried about this. "You're gonna laugh when you find out."

"Pepper," James sighed out. He didn't care. "I just want to know what's going on with my daughter."

Pepper tried to wipe the smile off her face and tell him with a serious one, but it was just too hard. It was so funny that they were legitimately worried about her for this one thing. "_Friends_ came on last night and in that episode, Ross and Rachel broke up."

James sighed out, relieved that it was nothing, but also letting out a little laugh, thinking this was so funny. Just like Pepper had. "She loves Ross and Rachel."

"A little too much." Pepper agreed with a laugh bubbling in her throat.

James let out a few chuckles before looking up at the ceiling. "She's really that worried about it?"

Pepper shrugged with a smile on her face. "She told me about how her and her mother used to watch it together."

James felt like he had just been punched in the gut. He now realized why Ross and Rachel were so important to her. Why this was affecting her so much. Ross and Rachel was her way of holding on to James and Emily being together, and now that they were done, it was truly sinking in that her mother and her father were done. James looked up at Pepper, giving her a forced smile, wanting to talk to Melody now. Alone. "Thank you so much for helping out."

She gave him a big smile and rubbed him on his shoulder. "Anything I can do to help."

She walked out of the house, leaving just James on the first floor. He looked up at the ceiling, knowing he had to talk to Melody, but he was also afraid to. They rarely talked about Emily anymore, and James hated that. It was a sensitive topic, but he didn't want Melody to never think about her mother ever again. She was a great woman and he was still in love with her. He would always be. Melody needed to remember her mother the same way James always would. The loving, caring, strong woman she still is.

He climbed up the stairs, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down his pounding heart. When he knocked on his daughter's door, he didn't want for her to answer, he just opened it. She looked up at him from her blanket and sighed, causing James's heart to break even more. "Did Pepper tell you?"

"Yeah." James told her with a slight smile as he sat on the end of her bed. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I thought you'd think it was stupid." She told him as he leaned forward and began to stroke her hair.

"Nothing you ever feel is stupid." He assured her while continuing to pet her hair. "You feel things for a reason. It's what lets you know that you're still human." He gave her a slight smile, loving moments like these. Where he could teach her something of value. Something he hoped she would keep with her forever even after he was long gone. "Don't ever think your feelings are stupid."

Melody sighed. "Ross and Rachel were just perfect for each other."

James moved closer to her, wanting to talk about Emily while talking about Ross and Rachel. "Well, maybe Rachel just has to take some time away from Ross."

"They could have worked it out!" Melody spoke, her voice getting louder. "It was just a misunderstanding. Rachel should have stayed."

"Maybe Rachel was trying to protect everyone from even more hurt." He gave her a worried face, hoping he was somehow getting through to her about Emily. "Rachel was just trying to protect the people she cares about by leaving."

Melody turned her head to side, it finally clicking to her. "I never thought of it that way."

"And I'm sure Rachel is gonna miss Ross like crazy." James spoke as he looked down. "And Ross is gonna miss Rachel. But they love each other." He nodded, wishing Emily was here. Wishing that she was hearing what he was saying. "They'll be together in the end."

Melody got quiet as she began to pull on a thread on her blanket. "We're not just talking about Ross and Rachel, are we?"

James chuckled a little. "I always knew you were smart."

"Is all that true?" James looked up at her, seeing her little face filled with so much hope that one day her mother was going to come back. "About Mom?"

He leaned forward, grabbing her hand with a smile. "It's the most honest thing I've ever told you." His smile only got wider as he touched her nose. "Besides how beautiful you are." She laughed as his finger went to the side of her head. "And how smart you are." She continued to laugh even harder than before, causing James's smile to just grow. "We're okay." He whispered as he continued to stroke her hair. "We're just fine."

Melody nodded happily, wondering how she got this lucky to have a dad as great as James. "I think I'm feeling better now."

James stroked her face with his thumb, knowing there was nobody he could love more than his daughter. "How about we get some ice cream. Just the two of us?"

"Sounds great."

He leaned forward, kissing the top of her head with a warm smile. "Get ready and we'll leave in a little bit."

He walked out of her room, leaving her to get dressed. Right when he exited her room, he let out a cough, a cough that ended up being more powerful than he thought. And when the cough was done, he looked at his hand, noticing there was bright red liquid sitting in the palm of his hand. He began to get worried, never seeing this happen to him before. He decided right then and there that he was going to the doctor tomorrow, but he didn't know that this was just the beginning of the end for James Steven Barnes.


	4. Hawkeye and Spiderman

_**I don't know where this idea even came from. It just popped into my head one day. I hope you enjoy this one! I would like to see some more suggestions!**_

Once Melody had moved to New York and begun her training with SHIELD, she had become a target. To everyone. Everyone knew who she was now. A SHIELD legacy. And everyone wanted a chance at the pretty blonde girl with a fierce bite and expert dagger skills.

And there was one person up for protecting her at all costs. And that one person was Clint Barton. He had made nests all around the city, knowing places she would go, mapping out her daily routine in no time, always having his eye on her. And she had no idea how many times Clint had to save her without knowing.

Today was seeming like a calm day. Melody had the rare day off, and she was just sitting there, pounding away on the keys of her laptop. Sure, Clint had expert eyes, but he could never see what she was always typing. That was one mystery that had plagued him every day as he watched her.

He heard someone land behind him on the roof of the building, causing him to roll his eyes. This kid just wouldn't quit. "What do you want, Parker?"

"How did you know it was me?" The teenager in the red and blue spider costume asked.

"Because I know the sound of you landing on this roof by now."

Peter sat down next to Clint, but Clint just kept looking down at Melody. And trust me, it wasn't easy finding a building taller than Stark Towers so close to it. "So, how's Mel watch?"

Clint wouldn't admit it, but he enjoyed Spiderman's company. And Peter loved listening to Clint's battle stories, hoping to one day join SHIELD. "Unusual."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed, even if you couldn't see it behind his mask. "No attackers today?"

"Not a single one." Clint whispered, his voice covered in confusion.

"Well," Peter began while shifting, having no idea what he was getting at. "Maybe the word's getting around that you're her guardian thing."

Clint rolled his eyes and finally looked to him. "First off, shadow agent. Second, you are so not SHIELD ready."

"What?" Spiderman laughed out. "You see something different?"

"Very different." Peter waited, wondering what there was to see in something that _seemed_ so simple. "I see a brewing attack."

"From who?"

Clint chuckled to himself, wondering the same thing. "Who knows? That girl has made so many enemies. Some she doesn't even know about."

The teenager rolled his eyes, wondering what Melody Barnes even saw in this guy. "Okay, who would be the most revengeful?"

Clint shook his head. "The most revengeful are either dead or in prison."

"But what if they got someone to do the work they couldn't?"

Clint turned his head to the side, seeing a point. Maybe this kid did have a shot at being a SHIELD agent. "That's actually not a bad idea." They both jumped, turning around to see a man with a ski mask on his face. "But Hammer thought of it first."

"Spidy," Clint began without opening his mouth.

"Yeah?"

"This is your audition for SHIELD."

"What?!" He asked in a panicked tone right when Clint rolled around on the roof to get cover.

Hammer's guy began sending out bullets, causing Peter to do some expert flips in attempt to get away from them. "You know," Peter yelled out from his place of cover to Clint's. "I don't think this is a fair audition."

Clint got up from his spot, quickly shooting off an explosive arrow before going back down. "Just shut up and do your web stuff."

Spiderman shot up, throwing out his wrists, grabbing the gun from the man's hands and throwing it to the floor. He only pulled out another gun and began shooting again.

They all staggered to get back down, taking deep breaths from the shelter they got. "This is a stupid plan." Peter commented.

"Yeah," Clint panted out. "Tell me about it."

"We need a real plan." Peter urged. "Not just some BS you got from out of your ass."

Clint looked to him, annoyed more than ever with this kid. "Aren't you like twelve?"

"Seventeen!" He screamed out angrily.

Clint rolled his eyes and looked back to him. "Alright, let's make a plan."

They quickly combined their best assets and came up with the best plan they could in this situation. "Are you ladies done?" The assassin taunted.

Clint looked to Peter with a nod. "You ready?" All he did was nod, Clint noticing for the first time that this kid undoubtedly had a SHIELD future ahead of him. "Let's do this."

The two hurried from their hiding spots, dodging the immediate bullets and giving everything they had. Clint going first. He shot off as many arrows as possible, not aiming to injure, but to throw him off.

Right when Clint was done, Peter shot off as many spider webs as possible, getting the assassin stuck all together. Right when he was no longer able to move, Clint moved forward, kicking the assassin right in the chest, sending him down for the count.

The two stood over him with smiles on their face in a superhero stance. "Mr. Spiderman," Clint spoke in an over exaggerated voice. "Would you like to do the honors of escorting our opponent to jail?" The man looked back and forth at the two with an upset face that he had actually gotten captured. "Word to the wise," Clint spoke, moving closer to him. "Don't use Hammer Tech next time."

"I would gladly take our opponent to jail, Hawkeye!" Peter moved, throwing the dazed assassin, about to get ready to leave when he stopped himself. "Hey," Clint looked up at him, ready to hear what he had to say. The boy just helped him protect the love of his life with no questions asked. He was in his debt. "We make a pretty good team."

Clint chuckled while shaking his head. "I wouldn't go that far."

Spiderman simply smiled while rolling his eyes before flipping off the building to take the man to jail. Clint rolled his eyes at the boy, only further proved by that fight they shared that the kid would be the best damn SHIELD agent around.

Clint's phone began to buzz, and when he pulled it out, he saw that it was Nick Fury calling. He stretched out his neck a little, getting himself ready to answer a call from his boss after a fight. "Yes, sir?"

"Barton, I've got a mission for you."

Clint cocked his head to the side. "I thought I was on the mission on protecting Melody?"

He sighed. "This mission is slightly more important than that one. You'll still have time for both."

"What is it?"

"Protecting the Tesseract." Clint stopped his light pacing on the roof just at the sound of the thing. He couldn't believe he was offering something this important to him. "We'll talk about this tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir."

Clint hung up, blinking a few times at the interesting day he just had. The only thing he wanted to make sure of before leaving was Melody's safety. He turned back to where he had last seen her in Stark Towers. This time, Melody was looking right up at him, holding the curtains back with a tight nightgown on. Clint was shocked, but she just had a sly smile on her face with her eyebrows up like she had known what he was doing the whole time. Did she know what he was doing the whole time? Clint was flabbergasted, the only thing he could do was give her a slight wave. Her smile only grew as she waved back and slowly closed the curtains.

_**I hope you guys liked it! Right when you think of a suggestion, review it or message it to me! Please review!**_


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